Improve Your Age
Although ageing is inevitable, the loss of mobility and mental agility that often comes with it can be held at bay. Here are some ways to keep both the body and the brain ticking over.
Fitness
Exercising is good for your brain as well as your body, stimulating brain cell growth and lengthening your life. It's never too late to start. People aged 75 taking up regular exercise for the first time were shown to live longer.
Any activity that raises the heart rate for 30 minutes, five times a week will do the trick, such as walking the dog.
Memory
Use it or lose it. Brain cells can be grown and reprogrammed at any age.
Concentrate on what you need to remember and avoid distractions. Keep essential items like the house keys in the same place. Carry a notebook to write important things down. Congratulate yourself whenever your memory is good. A confidence boost will ensure you're less likely to forget.
Diet
Keep your blood vessels clear so your brain has a good supply of blood to regenerate cells. Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and one portion of oily fish a week. Reduce fat, salt and alcohol intake. This diet helps reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and risk of heart disease.
Friendship
Keeping your friends close can extend your life. Having the support of friends at stressful times reduces your heart rate and blood pressure, so you're less likely to suffer from heart disease.
Humour
People watching a comedy programme can tolerate pain for longer, so why not turn the television on instead of popping a painkiller? Claims that laughter boosts your immune system are being investigated.
Mindset
Resist the negative stereotype of being old. It can shorten your life! A team of American psychologists found that people who were positive about aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those who regretted the passing years.
Taking Control Back
Experiments in care homes have shown that residents who are given choice and responsibility feel happier. Their memory and concentration improves. The health of residents encouraged to be dependent was seen to deteriorate.
Work
Continuing to work gives a sense of worth and purpose and offers a stimulating environment. Older workers are less likely to accept negative age labelling and have shown improvements in psychological and physical health.
